Aging & Independence Services

Vision & Hearing

Assistive Listening Devices

LH-0600.3000-050

Programs that pay for or provide devices other than hearing aids, such as voice amplifiers, personal FM systems, inductive loop systems or infrared theater or television head sets which enable people who have hearing impairments to make use of their residual hearing.

Audiology

LR-8000.0500

Programs that provide a variety of nonmedical evaluations to determine the range, nature and extent of hearing loss and rehabilitation services for people whose hearing impairments cannot be improved by medical or surgical means. Audiologists evaluate hearing, identify hearing disorders, assess hearing aids and teach clients to conserve hearing and use residual hearing.

Blind Mobility Aids

LH-0600.5000-100

Programs that pay for or provide aids such as long canes, laser canes, compasses and raised maps which facilitate the ability of blind people to move safely and efficiently in the school, home or community environment.

Braille and Tactile Aids

LH-0600.9000-100

Programs that pay for or provide equipment which can be used to create materials that are written in Braille (a system which uses raised dots to represent numerals and letters of the alphabet that can be identified by the fingers), Optacons or other devices that help people to read and/or write using their sense of touch. Included are devices such as calculators, alarm clocks, watches, calendars, kitchen equipment, scales and other items which have tactile displays.

Braille Instruction

LR-1000

Programs that teach people who are blind and other interested individuals to read and write using Braille, a system that uses raised dots to represent numerals and letters of the alphabet which can be identified by the fingers.

Braille Materials/Collections

TJ-4500.8300-100

Libraries or other organizations that maintain collections of books, magazines and other reading materials in Braille, a system that uses raised dots to represent numerals and letters of the alphabet which can be identified by the fingers, that are made available on a loan basis to community residents who are blind or who have visual impairments. Also included are organizations that distribute copies of books, magazines and other reading material in Braille format that people can keep.

Braille Transcription

PH-3500.1000

Programs that transfer materials that were originally written in English or another language into Braille, a system that uses raised dots to represent numerals and letters of the alphabet which can be identified by the fingers.

Hearing Screening

LF-4900.2150

Programs that offer hearing threshold tests for the purpose of identifying individuals whose ability to perceive sound falls outside the normal range. People who fail the screening test need an in-depth evaluation by an audiologist.

Language Therapy

LR-8000.8000-450

Programs that offer individual or group therapy sessions to assist people who have receptive or expressive language difficulties. Sessions usually focus on concept development, word sequencing (syntax), and word choice (vocabulary) as well as on the development or improvement of listening skills.

Large Print Materials/Collections

TJ-4500.8300-450

Libraries or other organizations that maintain collections of books, magazines and other reading materials in a large type format that are made available on a loan basis to residents of the community who have visual impairments. Also included are organizations that distribute copies of large print books, magazines and other reading material that people can keep.

Low Vision Aids

LH-0600.9000-450

Programs that pay for or provide magnifiers, magnification equipment, light intensification equipment, night vision equipment, closed circuit television devices and other products which help people who have visual impairments use their remaining vision to greater advantage.

Optometric Referrals

Optometry

LV-2400.6350

Programs that are staffed by health care professionals who are licensed to provide primary eye care services including comprehensive eye health and vision examinations; diagnosis and treatment of disease and vision disorders; and prescriptions for glasses, contact lenses, low vision rehabilitation, vision therapy and medications. Optometrists check patient vision using eye charts; measure patient nearsightedness, farsightedness, depth perception and other vision problems using optical instruments; prescribe and fit corrective lenses or other corrective treatments to conserve, improve and correct vision; prescribe training exercises to strengthen weak eye muscles; and counsel patients on contact lens use and care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, working distances and safety factors. They may also examine eyes for glaucoma and other diseases and refer patients to ophthalmologists or other physicians and surgeons when ocular or other diseases are found. Optometrists may specialize in fitting visual aids for people who are partially blind, fitting contact lenses or correcting special vision problems.

Orientation and Mobility Training

LR-6400

Programs that help people who are blind or who have visual impairments develop the fundamental spatial concepts and skills that are necessary for maximum mobility and independent living. Instruction focuses on moving safely and purposefully in the school, home or community environment; and usually includes procedures for street crossings, travel in unfamiliar areas, utilization of public transportation, and appropriate use of aids such as sighted guides or canes. Training for persons who want to acquire the skills to be a sighted guide may also be provided.

Reader Services

Reading Services for People With Disabilities

TJ-6750

Programs that provide people with visual impairments or other disabilities that limit their ability to read print material with access to recorded tapes, readings from current popular publications or a volunteer who reads for them. Included are radio reading services which offer programming that features highlights from national newspapers, articles from periodicals, or novels and other special interest reading material; telephone reading services which provide access to prerecorded material via touch-tone telephone; and programs that arrange for a call or visit by a volunteer reader.

Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic

TJ-4500.4500-750

Libraries or other organizations that maintain collections of books, magazines and other reading material on cassettes, CDs or in digital file formats and make them available on a loan basis to residents of the community who are blind or have visual impairments, dyslexia or other related disabilities. Also included are organizations that distribute cassettes, CDs, or digital files of this type that people can keep.

Sign Language Instruction

LR-8000.0500-800

Programs that provide instruction in visual/manual communication systems that use hand shapes, facial expressions, and other body movements as alternatives to oral and written communication, particularly within the deaf community. Included are programs that teach preverbal infants and toddlers to use sign language as a way of communicating their needs.

Sign Language Interpretation

PH-3500.8000

Programs that offer the services of people who are proficient in sign language, one of a variety of communication systems in which hand and body movements represent words, ideas, objects, actions and other concepts, to help people who are deaf or have hearing impairments and hearing individuals communicate with one another. Included are programs for individuals who are proficient in American Sign Language (ASL), Quebec Sign Language (LSQ) as well as those who use systems like Signed Exact English (SEE), Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE) which involve manually coded English, signed French which involve manually coded French, cued speech in which words spoken by lips are supplemented by cues which aid speech reading, and oral transliteration in which words spoken by an individual are silently mouthed to the deaf person accompanied by appropriate facial expressions and gestures to facilitate conveyance of the information. Sign language interpreters interpret in two ways: voice-to-sign and sign-to-voice. Voice-to-sign means the interpreter is signing to the deaf person what the speaker is saying. Sign-to-voice means the interpreter is voicing to the hearing person what the deaf person is signing. Some individuals want an interpreter who can perform both roles. Others prefer to speak for themselves and limit the interpreter's role to signing to them.

Speech and Language Evaluations

Speech Therapy

LR-8000.8000-820

Programs that offer individual or group therapy sessions which focus on the remediation of specific articulation problems in which speech sounds are omitted, replaced by substitute sounds or distorted; voice problems in which pitch, loudness or quality of voice is affected; or stuttering.

Telecommunication Relay Services

PH-3500.8500

Programs that allow people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech impairments to communicate through a communications assistant with people who use a standard telephone or the Internet. The communications assistant relays TTY (text telephone or telecommunications device for deaf and hard of hearing individuals) to the telephone user and types that person's response back to the TTY user. Three options when using a telephone relay service are voice carry-over (VCO), hearing carry-over (HCO) and speech-to-speech (STS). VCO allows a person with a hearing impairment to speak directly to the other party and then read the response typed by a communications assistant. HCO allows a person with a speech impairment to hear the other party and relay the TTY response back to the telephone user through the communications assistant. STS provides assistance for people with speech disabilities who have difficulty being understood on the phone. STS communications assistants are specially trained in understanding a variety of speech disorders, which enables them to repeat what the caller says in a manner that makes the caller’s words clear and understandable to the called party. The relay service allows individuals with communication disorders to communicate with all telephone users. Telecommunication relay services can be reached by dialing 711.